Steak and Asparagus Stir Fry

I decided this is my favorite beef stir fry I've ever made. I fell in love at first bite, and seriously could have eaten the entire pan. My husband and I did, actually. No leftovers this time. And for this reason, I'm going to give you the proportions doubled, because there's no way this would feed an entire family if your kids actually ate it. My 5 year old ate the beef, because we are discovering she is a true carnivore. My 2 year old didn't eat it, of course, because she is a fruititarian (that's my descriptive term for her--no meat, no veggies, just fruit. And grains. And dairy). All that is beside the point. You want to make this ASAP, while asparagus is still in its springtime glory. It is so flavorful and perfectly spiced with just a hint of heat. I intended to serve it with brown rice, but didn't get it going fast enough, so I just heated up some leftover quinoa I had in my fridge and it was just as great on the side. Get cookin'!

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl (broth through cornstarch), stirring well with a whisk. Heat a large skillet over high heat, add half of beef and stir fry until browned. Repeat with remaining half. You need to do this in batches because otherwise the beef will crowd the pan and steam. It will be liquidy and gray and not appealing. If you can multitask, use 2 skillets and it will take half the time! After beef is browned well, wipe out the skillet and add another 1T oil. Add asparagus and pepper and stir fry (I'd probably do this in 2 batches as well, unless your skillet is huge) for 2 min. Put all veggies back in the pan together. Add green onions and crushed pepper, stir fry 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium high. Add stock mixture and cook for 3 minutes until thickened. Return beef and any juices to the pan. Mix well and heat until cooked through.